Today, just an ordinary old Saturday, I decided to take advantage of the fact that we had free travel on Brisbane transport. Here’s what I got up to…

I left home about 10.15am and got the bus into Fortitude Valley (The Valley). I had decided to go and get a photo of a piece of art that I had seen a few weeks ago and then get the bus into the city before jumping on a ferry for a trip on the Brisbane River.

While I was on the bus, I made the decision to actually get another bus to another part of Brisbane to get the ferry into the central city. It’s a little bit hard to explain if you don’t know the area I am talking about so I’ll to do it by map..

So the above is the public transport routes I took and in between each point I walked. Here are the photos from today – all taken on my Samsung Galaxy S7. Oh and I should also mention that today was the first day in about a week & half where it wasn’t raining, so there were quite a few people out & about. Photos are in chronological order of when they were taken… lots and lots of photos!!

In The Valley

I’ve been to the Valley loads of times but it’s quite a large area so there is always part of it that I haven’t been before or haven’t explored on foot. I got off my bus and was going to get the next bus from directly around the corner but I ended up walking to a stop 3 stops from the one I was going to use. Gave me a chance to see a little more of this area.

Hamilton

Hamilton is not an area I frequent. In fact, in the 14 years I’ve lived in Brisbane, I could count the number of times I’ve been around here, on one hand. {Fun fact} – Hamilton Portside is where the cruise ships dock when they’re in town and there is a really cool market that happen in this area – at time of posting, the Eat Street Markets are currently closed as they are relocating to another spot in the Hamilton area. Today however, I just got off the bus and walked the short distance to the Brett Wharf ferry terminal.

On The Ferry

The City Cats is one of my favourite things to do in Brisbane. It is really cool to spend a morning or afternoon travelling up and down the Brisbane River. The map below shows the terminals for the City Cat (in blue) and the City Hopper (in red). {Fun Fact} – while it normally costs to travel on the City Cat ferries, the City Hopper is completely free and runs from about 6am till midnight.

Today, because travel was free, space on the City Cat was at a premium the closer we got to the city. It got so crowded that at one point they wouldn’t let anyone else on. I alighted at Eagle Street Pier and went to grab some lunch at one of the many restaurants and cafes that are along the Eagle Street Pier and Riverside.

Riverbar and Kitchen (and my new favourite place!)

I tend to avoid trendy places, mostly because I am not trendy at all but the Riverbar looked so inviting with its large open space and misty water coming out of vents. There is plenty of seating inside and out and the restaurant has a very nautical feel. It was very welcoming with its long benches with cushions littering them. I chose a table with a view of the Story Bridge but afterwards I walked around to take some photos and found a large lounge area at the back – which I wish I had known about before I chose my seat. Delicious food, cool aesthetic and very friendly staff… I will definitely be going back to Riverbar & Kitchen.

Wandering Around Brisbane City

I love random moments. As I was wandering from Riverside to my bus stop, normally about a 10 minute walk away, here is what I encountered:

• a wedding at the Cathedral of St Stephens – {Fun fact} – not long after I moved to Brisbane, I entered the Lord Mayor’s photo competition, I didn’t win but I was chosen to have my photo exhibited at City Hall. That photo was of St Stephens and as a result,this building has a special place in my heart
• a random piece of street art on the side of the building
• went shopping and got a new Surface charger at JB Hifi – which means I can now write this!
• came across a protest that shut down a normally very busy street – not sure what they were protesting because they had signs for everything from the detention centres, the Prime Minister being greedy,  and not being able to afford a university education – plus there were LOADS of cops!
• heaps of people – pretty sure it was because of the free travel but the crowds really looked like they did the week before Christmas
• Noosa Chocolate Factory – which is right next to my bus stop and I DID NOT go in.. even though I was very tempted

So there you have it… my big day out. I got home and I had to have a nap!! But I’m glad I actually made the effort to get out of the house and take advantage of the free travel – it does not happen every day (either thing!).

via Daily Prompt: Ordinary